Proposed coal plants in India

India is in the midst of a rapid expansion in coal-fired power plant capacity. For information on individual plants, click on the map or on the name of the plant in the list below. For information on mining, power sector companies, financing, environmental impacts, and other coal-related topics, see India and coal.

Coal-fired power stations financed by international public investment institutions
Coal-fired power stations financed by international public investment institutions include:
 * Barh power station, India
 * Bhilai Works power station, India
 * Ib Valley power station, India
 * Kahalgaon power station, India
 * Krishnapatnam Ultra Mega Power Project, India
 * Krishnapatnam power station, India
 * Mumbai Jindal power station, India
 * Mundra Ultra Mega Power Project, India
 * Pathadi power station, India
 * Simhadri power station, India
 * Sipat power station, India

Proposed New "Ultra Mega" Coal-Fired Power Stations
India has proposed a series of 'ultra mega' coal-fired power stations of 4,000 megawatts or more.

In 2007 the Ministry of Power, an Indian government agency, proposed the development of nine additional 4,000 megawatt 'ultra maga' power projects to be financed on a Build, Own, and Operate basis by private companies selected by the government. The Ministry of Power stated that the projects would be 'super critical' coal plants which would either be located at the pithead of specific coal deposits or at coastal projects to be based on imported coal.

In an attempt to make the projects attractive for private sector investors, the Ministry of Power, the Central Electricity Authority and the Power Finance Corporation determined that it "was deemed necessary to provide the site, fuel linkage in captive mining blocks, water and obtain environment and forests clearance, substantial progress on land acquisition leading to possession of land, through a Shell Company." The shell companies were also given the initial task for finalizing agreements with power purchasers.

The Ministry stated that the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) had selected the sites in consultation with state governments with the coastal sites being the Mundra, Krishnapatnam, Tadri, Girye, and Cheyyur projects. The mine pithead sites are the Sasan, Tilaiya, Sundergarh and Akaltara projects.

While the Indian government has ambitious plans for new power stations, some have noted that in the past the government has been unable to deliver on its stated plans. "The government’s capacity addition programme has been grossly inadequate in the past. In the 9th and 10th Plans, less than 50% of the targeted capacity was added. In the on-going 11th Plan, while the Centre had originally planned to add 768,577 MW [sic - one digit too many] of capacity, the power ministry has now scaled down the target to 62,000 MW," wrote Amiti Sen & Subhash Narayan in the Economic Times.

The current nine identified proposals are:


 * Mundra Ultra Mega Power Project
 * Sasan Ultra Mega Power Project
 * Krishnapatnam Ultra Mega Power Project
 * Tilaiya Ultra Mega Power Project
 * Akaltara Ultra Mega Power Project
 * Tadri Ultra Mega Power Project
 * Girye Ultra Mega Power Project
 * Cheyyur Ultra Mega Power Project
 * Sundargarh Ultra Mega Power Project

Four new coal plants in Uttar Pradesh
In December 2010, it was reported that four coal fired power plants of 1320 MW each will be set up in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh "to meet the state's growing energy needs." According to Press Trust of India, a high profile government body, Energy Task Force (ETF), approved the plants. A decision was taken by ETF Chairman and UP Chief Secretary Atul Kumar Gupta. While National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) will be constructing a plant in Bihlaur, Kanpur, Torrent Power will set up one in Sandila, Wellspun and TSBC in Khurja.

Environment Minister approves sixteen coal projects
On February 11, 2011 India's Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh approved a total of sixteen new coal projects that were on hold due to environmental regulations. Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal stated that the environment minister’s okay of Coal India's proposed coal mine projects was due to pressure from higher levels in the Indian government. The Coal Minister also stated that environmental regulations are one of the reasons why the growth of Coal India – which produces 80 percent of the country's coal – dropped to 2 percent in 2010, compared to 2009's figure of almost 7 percent. However, the Coal Minister said the areas off limits to coal mining would remain off limits, despite the likely increase in the country's coal use.

DB Power's proposed Dharamjaigarh coal mine and plant
DB Power is a subsidiary of DB Corp Ltd, a media conglomerate in India. DB Power is seeking the acquisition of 693.32 hectares of land for a coal mine, a project in Dharamjaigarh that would displace an estimated 524 families from six settlements to extract 2 million tonnes of coal annually. The coal would be used to fuel a 1320 MW thermal power plant that would be built in the adjoining district of Janjgir. After public protest against the proposed mine, DB Power submitted an affidavit pledging not to conduct any mining operations in nagar panchayat land. A supplementary letter filed at a Feb. 2011 public hearing promised to re-site any proposed water tanks and coal piles from nagar panchayat land to the remaining leased area. Four villages, however, would still lose their lands.

July 2010: Two killed, 150 injured in Andhra Pradesh
On July 14, 2010, police in Adhra Pradesh's Srikakulam district fired on farmers and fisherman protesting a 2,640 MW coal plant under construction by Nagarjuna Construction Company (NCC), killing two fishermen. In addition, 150 people were injured, including 45 policemen, during clashes between protesters and police. In the wake of the violence, police were deployed in about a dozen villages and banned assembly by more than five persons.

The two fishermen killed were G. Joga Rao of Lakkavaram and G. Krishnamurthy (60) of Palasapuram. A fact-finding team headed by former Orissa high court judge P. K. Mishra issued the following account of the shootings:
 * "The firing was suddenly done from inside a police van on the Sompeta-Baruva road, on either side of which the fields are located. The police van started moving towards Sompeta, while the man inside continued firing from a close range. The bullets hit the victims above waist level, except two who were hit on the thigh and the ankle. Two person--G. Joga Rao of Lakkavaram and Krishnamurthy of Plasapuram--died on the spot and five others, including a cameraman of a local television channel, sustained bullet injuries."

February 2011: Two killed, 25 injured in Andhra Pradesh
On February 28, 2011, in a set of clashes sparked by construction of Bhavanapadu Thermal Power Project by East Coast Energy, police in Srikakulam fired into villagers, killing two people and injuring nearly 25 others. The plant at the center of the violence was in the same district as the coal plant where two people were killed the previous July. The dead were identified as Sirapu Yerraiah (36) of Sirapuvani Peta and J. Nageswara Rao (35) of Akashalakkavaram. At least two of the injured were hit at close range with rubber bullets. Police used guns, teargas, and lathis against villagers, who used stones and sticks. After police threw smoke bombs in Vadditandra village, 50 houses were gutted. A police jeep was burned by villagers.

Synfuels projects
In March 2009 the Indian government announced that it had awarded two coal blocks for the development of two different coal-to-liquids projects in the state of Orissa. These are:


 * the north Arkhapal coal block to Strategic Energy Technology Systems Ltd, a 50:50 joint venture between Tata Power and Sasol Synfuels International, the international synfuels subsidiary of Sasol. It is projected that the $10 billion. plant would produce 80,000 barrels of crude oil a day. In early 2010 Orissa's Chief minister Naveen Patnaik told reporters that "though we have not identified the location, the proposed plant will be somewhere in the state." It was also reported that the coal would come from the Srirampur area in Talcher. The Business Standard also stated that the project "requires 3,000 acre of land for its main plant, additional land would be required for setting up coal mines, benefication plants, coal handling plants, water reservoirs, power plants and a township" and would involved the establishment of a 1600 megawatt power station. The newspaper also reported that the joint venture was "yet to make a formal application" for the plant the company was pressing the state government "to provide adequate facilities for early commissioning of the project." (See Srirampur Coal-to-Liquids Project for more details).


 * the Ramchandi block to Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL) is projected to produce 80,000 barrels per day will use the German Lurgi technology. The plant is proposed to be established at Kishore Nagar in Angul district of Orissa. Waste coal from the washery is proposed to be used as fuel for a 1,350MW power station. (See Kishore Nagar Coal-to-Liquids Project for more details).

Related SourceWatch articles

 * India and coal

External articles

 * "How Crony Capitalism Lead to the Kakarapalli tragedy," The Argumentatitve Indian, March 1, 2011
 * "Srikakulam battle far from over," NDTV, July 24, 2010